“They weigh up to a ton or more and have dagger-type tusks in font of their face, but are gregarious and social; they have individual personalities, just like humans, and are very protective of their newborn calves.”Award-winning filmmaker Adam Ravetch documents the relationship between a mother walrus and her calf and travels to the Arctic ice to discover more about the walrus. Here, he films the battle between the mighty polar bear and the walrus, which, despite being famous for its massive bulk and sabre-like tusks, remains something of a mystery to humans.
As springtime dawns on the frozen landscape of Igloolik in Canada's high Arctic, Adam Ravetch sets off in search of one of the region's most massive and misunderstood animals - the walrus.
Known as ‘The Walrus Man’, Ravetch has devoted much of his career to documenting the lives of these tusked giants. He has filmed in the Arctic for more than 15 years and is probably best known for filming ‘Arctic Tale’.
Ravetch is on a mission to capture on film the drama when polar bears and walruses meet face-to-face. He also captures the unique and rarely seen behaviours of mother walruses and their newborn calves.
At first glance, the eastern Canadian Arctic seems to be a place of frozen desolation. But, here amidst the ice floes, walruses live an arctic existence, battling with the elements and against predators for survival. Weighing up to two tons, walruses paint a familiar picture with their characteristic tusks and bristly moustaches.
But amazingly, much about these animals remains a mystery. It is Ravetch's goal to unlock the secrets of these unique creatures.
In Battle of the Arctic Giants Ravetch captures what is believed to be the first underwater footage of a female walrus as she nurses and protects her newborn calf. And, he also films a polar bear rushing into a walrus herd and killing a calf, even facing down the calf's huge, tusk-wielding mother as she tries in vain to thwart the attack.
From the tender to the terrifying, scenes like these illustrate the extreme contrasts in this rugged landscape. On an epic journey that takes him onto drifting ice floes, diving into sub-zero waters and camping alone on a tiny island with hungry polar bears as neighbours, Ravetch captures the drama of walruses' real-life struggles as spring turns to summer in the frozen Arctic.
Filmed & produced by Adam Ravetch for National Geographic.
Review:
“The big, wrinkly walruses with their huge tusks, and the lightning fast polar bears battle it out for food, mates and supremacy. Adam Ravetch is a brilliant film maker and his hardship and endurance in the bitter cold has paid off – this is a lovely film, showing both tender moments and scenes of angry battles. Living in a small wooden hut on a tiny island, inhabited by polar bears, and with a loaded shotgun within reach at all times isn’t an easy environment to film in, but Adam has done a wonderful job. He soon learnt how to climb up that radio mast in no time!
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